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Covering Your Plants: If you’re going to cover up your plants before a frost or freeze, do so before dusk. If you wait until darkness falls, most of the stored heat in your garden will have dissipated. No matter what type of cover you use, make sure that it extends down to the soil on each side. Do not leave any openings for warmth to escape. If you can, it's also advisable to use stakes to keep material, especially plastic, from touching the foliage. Do not affix or gather your cover to the trunk, however, as this will prevent the heat radiating up out of the soil from reaching the plant. 
In the morning, after the frost has thawed, remove the covers. Failing to do so could cause the plant to break dormancy and start actively growing again, which would make it even more susceptible to frost damage in the future. What can I cover my plants with to protect them from frost? Here are just some of the items you can use to cover your tender plants:
Woody trees and shrubs (both fruit and landscape) and many herbaceous perennials (including strawberries) can tolerate very low temperatures if they are allowed to harden off and go dormant in the fall. Hardening off is triggered by the shorter days of late summer and fall, which cause the plant to stop growing. At this time, overwintering buds are matured. Different plant tissues have different degrees of hardiness. For example, flower buds are more sensitive to cold than leaf buds. A frost may damage the flower buds of a bulb or fruit tree without harming subsequent foliar growth. Most flowering shrubs will not be damaged by temperatures as low as 32 to 30F. However, if it goes much lower than that, open flowers may be damaged. If foliage is damaged it will regrow. Critical temperatures and cold injury evaluations for small fruit crops: Strawberries Plants, mid-winter: 0°F to 10°F Open flowers: 28°F Grapes New growth: 30°F Woody vine: French hybrids: -5°F to -10°F American: -8°F to -18°F Blackberries Dormant thorny plant: -10°F  Join Dr. Dave Lockwood from UT Extension to learn the basics of pruning both fruit trees and small fruits! $25.00 Registration fee Saturday, February 29th 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. Register HERE! Learn the fundamentals of small fruit and fruit and nut tree production practices.
Learn to implement a consistent spray schedule to maximize productivity. Learn the basics of identifying and effectively controlling insects and diseases in your fruit crops. Lunch included in registration fee.  Thursday, March 5, 2020 6:00 PM UT Extension-Greene County Office REGISTER HERE 204 N. Cutler St. Greeneville, TN 37745
423.798.1710 mtrose@utk.edu 
Registration ends soon for the 2020 Master Gardener Training Class! Join in the gardening fun! Get your hands dirty, learn with fellow gardeners, and stay current with all the trends in home gardening!
Greene County Extension Office 204 N. Cutler St. Greeneville TN 37745 
The 2020 Big Spring/UT Extension Greene County Master Gardener classes begin on Tuesday, February 25, 2020 and continue through April 16, 2020 (there are snow dates built into this schedule). Sessions are held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m., at the Greene County UT Extension Office. The fee for the program is $175.00, which includes an extensive Master Gardener Handbook, official name badge, hand lens, and other related materials.
Individuals applying and submitting payment by December 31, 2019 receive a 15% discount, bringing the registration fee to $150.00. The total registration cost will resume $175.00 on January 1st, so register early! Tennessee Master Gardeners (TMG's) are trained volunteers who help the UT Extension Office provide information and educate the public in home horticulture. Prospective TMG’s attend 40 hours of horticultural classes and are required to volunteer 40 hours of community service the first year (25 hours community service and eight hours of continuing education (CEU's) every year thereafter) through the Extension Office to complete their training. The University of Tennessee sponsors the Tennessee Master Gardener Program. The main goal of the Master Gardener program is to enhance the availability of horticultural information and to improve the quality of life within community gardens and landscapes through educational programs. These volunteers aid the UT Extension Office by managing the Master Gardener lab (help desk) located at the UT Extension Office. They provide requests for UT horticultural information; establish and maintain demonstration gardens throughout the county; and design and implement community involvement projects. They also coordinate educational Master Gardener programs for the public on various horticultural related topics. Programs the Big Spring Master Gardeners are currently involved with include the Boys and Girls Club Demonstration Garden, New Hope Cemetery Restoration and Landscape Project, and the Tabernacle Mission Soup Kitchen Demonstration Garden located at Tabernacle Presbyterian Church. They also participate in the local county fair, Tennessee Home Garden Variety trials, Kid’s Day on the Farm, and various venues throughout the county promoting horticulture projects. They planted a blueberry variety trial, in conjunction with a research trial vegetable garden at Greeneville’s UT Research and Education Center earlier this spring. They attend various educational demonstrations and conferences throughout the year to facilitate individual leadership growth and enhance the educational experience for the overall organization. Applications, as well as a class schedule can be picked up at the UT Extension Office or printed from the website below. Applications and full payment accepted through February 1, 2020, upon acceptance into class (don’t forget the Holiday deal by December 31, 2019)! Contact Melody Rose, Master Gardener Coordinator/UT Extension Agent, at (423) 798-1710 for additional information or visit the Big Spring Master Gardener website at: https://www.bsmga.com/2020-master-gardener-training.html
The Big Spring Master Gardeners are selling produce from their trial garden this summer! There are 18 different heirloom beans available, as well as various tomato, pepper, squash and cucumbers!
Master Gardeners will be on site at the Research and Education this Saturday, August 3rd at 10:00 AM if you are interested in trying some old favorites, as well as some new varieties not yet released to the public. Come see us at the REC! Look for Beth, Joe, and Ron! 2255 E. Allens Bridge Road Greeneville... 
Join the Big Spring Master Gardeners on Friday, August 16th from 6:00-8:00 PM for an evening of live music, wine-sippin’, and strolling through the bountiful gardens at the Tabernacle Mission Soup Kitchen. ..715 Wesley Avenue. The basic purpose of Empty Bowls is to raise money for our local soup kitchen demonstration garden at the Tabernacle Mission Soup Kitchen. Empty Bowls is so much more than collecting checks and tallying up totals. Empty Bowls creates and strengthens our community, supports our local artists, celebrates delicious food and beautiful pottery, and educates people about hunger and poverty. So join with us in empowering our community...EMPTY BOWL Fundrasier Select a bowl, fill it up with local yummies, and stroll through the garden...all for $35.00 Purchase tickets HERE or contact a Big Spring Master Gardener… |
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